Clothes-line reel.



N0. 808,009. PATENTED DEC. 19, 1905.

B. J. CALDWELL & G. L. HUNT.

CLOTHES LINE REEL.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.10, 1905.

BERT. J. OLALDWELL and GEORGE .L J-IV/VZ',

LV/ T NESSES INVEN T 01?.

whoa Q nnrrnn srArns PATENT orrion.

BERT J. GALDWELLAN D GEORGE L. HUNT, OF WVATERLOO, IOWA; SAID CALDlVELLASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO SAID HUNT.

CLOTHES-LINE REEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 19, 1905.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, BERT J. CALDWELL and Gnonen L. HUNT, citizens ofthe United States of America, and residents of Waterloo, Blackhawkcounty, Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inClothes- Line Reels, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to clothes-line reels; and it has for its objectto provide a construction wherein the spring-returned windingdrum may belocked to render the line of any desired length and having a specialmeans furnished whereby the line may be stretched to take up its slack.This object we have effected by the means which are hereinafterdescribed and claimed and which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of our improvedclothesline reel, showing it with one-half of the casing removed. Fig. 2is a side elevation of the same, showing the stretching and lockingmeans in position and Fig. 3 is afront elevation thereof, part of thecasing being represented as sectioned away.

Similar letters refer to similarparts throughout the several views. WVeunderstand that spring-controlled winding-drums are not in themselvesnovel in the art but we have shown meanswhereby the line when drawn outfrom the casing of such a drum may be held at any desired length, and wehave also added simple and efi'ective means for taking up the slack inthe line.

The winding-drum (Z is contained within a casing composed of theseparable halves a and 7c and is rotatable about a fixed shaft f, thelatter being fastened to a boss on the casing by means of a set-screw1". A helical spring e is placed in the interior of said drum, the innerend of the spring being fastened to the fixed shaft f, the outer endbeing fastened to the drum. The clothes-line g is wound about the outersurface of the drum and its end protrudes through the casing. The outerend of the line is provided with a ring it when desired. The casing hasa projection c,which serves to cover and keep out moisture from theopening provided for the egress of the line. The casing also has a baseplate I), whereby it may be fastened up to a post or side of a building,and the separable halves of the casing are fastened together by means ofthe bolts 1. As indicated in Fig. 2, one of the outer sides of thewinding-drumd is furnished with a plurality of sockets m, arranged in acircle concentric with its shaft. The casing member 7c is provided witha curved opening n, arranged to register with several of said sockets m.We have provided a pin 0, suitably sized to fit the sockets m, and saidpin may be, if desired, suspended from said baseplate Z) bymeans of achain p or any other means of fastening. The casing member 1c is alsoprovided with a boX w, having an opening t communicating with a centralcircular cavity v. The inner part of the opening t passes completelythrough the casing member 7c and registers with each of the sockets mwhen they are under it.

We have provided a simple and effective key 8 for automatically lockingthe windingdrum at any desired point, as follows: The keys, of angularform, has a ward a, which registers with and passes into theoutwardly-extending portion of the opening 25. When the ward u of thekey 8 is placed in the opening if, so that its inner end enters anydesired socket m, its shanks is by the action of gravitycaused to dropfrom the horizontal to the perpendicular position, as shown in Figs. 2and 3, in which latter position the ward it passes into and is lockedagainst the inner periphery of the circular cavity 2). The key s, whichmay be suspended from a suitable chain 9, when in its perpendicularposition cannot be dislodged from the opening by any sudden jar impartedto the casing and can only be removed by elevating its shank to itsformer horizontal position. It is obvious that by this simple means thewinding-drum can be securely locked and that the key automaticallyassumes its locked position after insertion in the opening by the mereaction of gravity.

When the desired length of line has been drawn from the casing and thefree end attached to any suitable fixture, the slack may be taken up asfollows: The pin 0 may he in serted through the opening a into whicheversocket m is nearest the top of said opening and then may be forceddownward, partially rotating the drum (1, thus taking up the slack inthe line g. l/Vhen the slack in the line has been sufiiciently taken upand the pin 0 is in the position shown in Fig. 2, the key .9 may beinserted in the opening 1., where it will enter one of the registeringsockets m, thus locking the Windingdrum securely in one position. Theshank of the key 8 Will then under the action of gravity assume itsperpendicular position, from which it cannot be dislodged except byreversing the process already described.

Having described our invention,what We claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a device of the class described, the combination With the casing,of a Windingdrum having a plurality of sockets, and an angulargravity-impelled key provided With a stud adapted to enter any one ofsaid'sockets to lock said drum in one position Within the casing.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination With theperforated casing of a spring impelled socket bearing Windingdrumrotatably mounted on a fixed shaft therein, a gravityimpelled keyadapted to enter the sockets in said drum, and means for locking saidkey in said casing, and means for rotatin said Winding-drum throughpredetermine distances to take up the slack in the line.

3. A clothes-line reel comprising a casing, a spring-impelledWinding-drum therein to receive the line, sockets in said drum andregistering openings in said casing, means for rotating said drumthrough predetermined distances to take up the slack in the line, arecessed boss on said casing With an opening registering With any one ofsaid sockets immediately thereunder, and a key adapted to en age thecavity in said boss and such socket to ock the drum in a desiredposition.

Signed at Waterloo, IoWa, this 20th day of December, 1904.

. BERT J. CALDWELL.

GEORGE L. HUNT. Witnesses:

G. G. KENNEDY, M. E. KENNEDY.

